PLP Chairman Fred Mitchell.
FOREIGN Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell has hit out at a “rubbish” statement made on a US television news show by a reported expert in security and terrorism who portrayed the Bahamas as having terrorist links.
After facing backlash from angry Bahamians on his Twitter page, MSNBC correspondent Malcolm Nash, who said he has more than 35 years in US intelligence, apologised for his error.
“Today (Saturday) on MSNBC cable news, on a show hosted by Joy-Ann Reid a guest, Malcolm Nance, a reported expert in security and terrorism, made the following statement: ‘We (the United States) have not banned terrorists from Brazil. ISIS has dozens of members from Brazil or Trinidad or the Bahamas who have more terrorists members than any of those other countries.’”
He was speaking in opposition to US President Donald Trump’s recent ban on citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the US for 90 days. The ban includes Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Iraq.
“In today’s atmosphere, the video clip is being spread around at a clipped pace,” the ministry’s statement added.
“Upon hearing the report, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell spoke with the prime minister, the national security minister, the head of SIB in the Royal Bahamas Police Force, all of whom are responsible for the country’s national security and they have no knowledge of any such terrorists or group of terrorists or any individual terrorist that is related to ISIS or any other terrorist organisation in the Bahamas.”
Mr Mitchell told ZNS news on Saturday that the remarks were “rubbish”.
Mr Mitchell also indicated that the Bahamas Mission to the United States has been asked to reach out to US counterparts, to MSNBC and Mr Nance himself to find out what the source of the allegation is. The mission has been asked to ask for a retraction.
After a Bahamian tweeted for Mr Nance to apologise, the US author responded: “Done. A report on Brussels ISIS attacker with Bahamian passport was refuted. Apologies #Bahamas.”
In March 2016, Interpol listed that Khalid el-Bakraoui, one of two Belgium suicide bombers, had dual Belgian and Bahamian nationality and had been wanted in Belgium on charges of terrorism. The Bahamian reference was later removed.
Bahamian government officials later said that the matter was an error.
“The Belgians have come back to us and said that the matter was done in error,” Mr Mitchell said last March. “And that it appears . . . both persons were Moroccan citizens at birth and assumed Belgian nationality. They have no explanation as to why is ended up being (reported as) the Bahamas.”
Comments
alfalfa 7 years, 3 months ago
No need to worry about terrorists obtaining Bahamian passports; Bahamians have trouble getting them.
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 3 months ago
Only because Bahamians refuse to fork over (or simply don't have) the thousands of dollars for fake passports that terrorists are happy (and able) to pay!
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 3 months ago
Re-post: Bahamians will not be able to visit the U.S. for a long time if the NSA and CIA prepared dossiers on Perry Christie, Allyson Maynard-Gibson, Baltron Bethel, Fweddy Boy et al ever end up on Trump's desk in the Oval Office for his reading. Bahamians will be flying far south to places like Panama or far north to Canada to do their shopping previously done in Florida. My oh my, one can only begin to wonder what Trump has in store for us Bahamians when he learns all there is to know about the Christie-led corrupt PLP government we have elected. Christie, Maynard-Gibson, Bethel, Mitchell and others like them can run but cannot hide from what will eventually be coming their way under a Trump-led U.S. administration! And because we Bahamians were foolish enough to elect these manifestly corrupt officials, we too will suffer the wrath of Uncle Sam in Trump's new world where the exceptionalism of Americans will be the order of the day as the U.S. seeks to make itself great again. Beware Crooked Christie, Evil Witch Maynard-Gibson, Bag Man Bethel, Tootie Fruity Mitchell and others like you for the bell doth now toll for your heads to be rightfully placed upon the chopping block!
Well_mudda_take_sic 7 years, 3 months ago
Re-post: The U.S. government and most Bahamians fortunately know Fweddy Boy is nothing but a half-baked tootsie-fruity tart in perpetual anger mode! The U.S. government undoubtedly also appreciates that the real existential threat to the Bahamas (and by extension the Southern U.S.) is Red China as there is every indication our Crooked Christie-led PLP government has served the sovereignty of the Bahamas to Red China on a feted platter with the Izmirlian family as the tossed salad with dressing on the side! Bahamians want and have every right to know what was the quid pro quo for Crooked Christie wrongfully selling our country to Red China and throwing the Izmirlian family under the bus in the process of doing so. As for Fweddy Boy, well, quite frankly, he's just a well-known irrelevant, immature and forever angry imbecile who can't even oversee the most basic of tasks, like the timely issuance of Bahamian passports. We can only imagine the high level of internalized chuckling that goes on at the U.N. and within the global diplomatic community at large whenever our limelight seeking Fweddy Boy speaks ;-) This guy is really a shameful embarrassment for all of us and we can only hope the international community does not think any of us are like him or support him. Our incompetent Crooked Christie is solely responsible for having foisted the warped mentality of Fweddy Boy on the good people of the Bahamas for all these years.
John 7 years, 3 months ago
Not too long ago there was a report in the international media that a crime cartel was responsible for hundreds of murders committed n the Bahamas. Now they associate the country with terrorists and terrorism. Regardless of how much recanting is done of how many apologies are made, the damage is done and some or irreparable in the short term. For a man to claim to have the credentials this man claims he has and make such loose,damaging and erroneous statements he should be severely reprimanded.
sheeprunner12 7 years, 3 months ago
The main terrorists are the criminals that the politicians protect to do their dirty work behind the scenes ........ the Toggies and Bobos that the PLP elite employ as goon squads for their criminal enterprises in the drugs, numbers, smuggling and nightclub underworld
TalRussell 7 years, 3 months ago
This called-out be a liar against The Bahamaland was no Guest - but a well paid frequently featured Commentator on National and Global Intelligence Matters. A Hired Gun for MSNBC TV.
Comrades! Your own country's Crown Minister calls out a liar and still you prefer side with a foreigner liar than with your country. I cry shame on you.
"Malcolm Nance on MSNBC Video Pinpoints The Bahamaland As A Terrorist State"
The minister should place this man on The Bshamaland's "Stop Do Not Allow The Bearer Da Picture To Enter We Country -List".
............///http://www.looptt.com/content/video-m...">http://www.looptt.com/content/video-m...
by TalRussell
Socrates 7 years, 3 months ago
Sounds like the makings of a economic assassination plot... maybe because we wont play ball on the tax thing like they want, maybe because of our coziness with the Chinese, maybe because the Trump gang are anti-everybody including now small black countries, maybe MSNBC wants some juicy news to pump the ratings, maybe they want some drug lord extradited, ... who knows what the motivation is?. Bottom line, nothing is a sure thing anymore.
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